I am back in the groove of keys living, watching the thunder clouds mass, waiting for the rain, checking the lightning flashing behind the nighttime clouds, sweating and remembering to wear sandals when I get outside the protection of shade, or burn my feet as punishment for forgetting to remember.
We haven't had much rain lately, just the promise not fulfilled, watching the clouds blow in from the south or the west. And where are these blusterous winds coming from? the south? the west? what happened to the comfortable, usual southeast trades? The winds blow, thunder cracks and the rain clouds hustle off to the horizon and I take a bucket and pour water on my fledgling palms using air conditioning condensate.
I stopped on my way into work to photograph the splendid colors of summer's near shore waters and all I got was what you see, shades of green not reflecting at all the turquoise and aquamarine I see out there with my eyes but that I cannot seem to capture with my Canon. Grrr. I did capture this liveaboard going home after a hard days labor (maybe). He buzzed out to his boat from the Highway One causeway which crosses the north side of Newfound Harbor. Today was one of those days we envy the liveaboards snug in their floating castles, cooled by fresh breezes on slightly ruffled waters.
Further up the highway I pulled off to hit some back country I'd cycled through this morning. I spotted a collapsing shed, or boathouse on the edge of the sparkling waters of Niles Channel when I rode my bicycle out to the park known as "The Pool" which is simply a saltwater indentation in the coastline. The Bonneville snuck into the old structure picture as it always does, somehow. And in this case rather overwhelmed the old structure in the distance. I thought the shed looked rather Bahamian in its decrepitude.
I know I am enjoying the Bonneville, even after my vacation riding the super powerful, extra smooth, rented BMW. I know because when I stopped for gas I found I'd got 45 miles to the gallon (18 km/liter) which is two mpg more than usual which means I've been ambling more and revving less. Smelling the roses one might say. And because i stopped at the Big Coppitt Key Shell I got that five percent rebate with the Shell Mastercard, which at $4:34 per gallon of mid strength gas is a nice savings:
Of course Shell is making cash hand over fist these days, and I recently read an interview on the BBC with the jug eared leader of said corporation. He argued that more exploration would find more oil and high prices help to cover the cost of finding and extracting the new oil supplies. I figure we've already proved we're willing to pay $4 a gallon so why would they ever drop the price? The US has cut consumption by an anemic one percent and car dealers in Key West tell the Citizen newspaper that SUV sales continue apace. I have been saying for some time that if you want to see $2 gas, double the mileage of your vehicle and in Italy, where they pay nearly $9 a gallon they drive 60mpg cars. Which means they effectively already pay less than we do...and a Nissan Micra Convertible is a cute car, believe it or not, even if it is small. In the Keys I am seeing more two wheelers out on the roads and in people's driveways. Not all the riders dress the part of Serious Motorcyclists . This dude was wearing a leather flying cap of a style that went out of fashion before World War Two:
And his exhausts were loud enough to wake the dead. I think the lady in the car at the pump next to me thought I was the cause of the ruckus as I thumbed my quiet little starter at the exact same moment. I thought my engine had blown up and I think she wished it had.
The Bluewater Key RV resort is quite nice (we had a look when we were house hunting years ago) but its not really a solution for someone looking for a home. Its a space for someone who owns a quarter million dollar 4mpg motor home who wants the same parking spot winter after winter... and seen from the Highway it is quite attractive, in a South Seas sort of way:
Tiki huts and palm trees on the waterfront, with AstroTurf for the RV and all for a cool half million. Astonishing ain't it? People will pay astronomical sums for this stuff.
I'm going to keep on riding the Bonneville and photographing the Florida Keys. Now I just need the lap top back from its long hiatus while it was getting repaired. Today they say it should be back on my desk at home after a month without regular Internet access. I really miss having a computer in my home and its been a long month away from the Web. 